Day 1
Meeting at Kilimanjaro International Airport (included in price). Transfer and accommodation at the hotel in Moshi. Acquaintance with the local guide, short instruction, preparation for the ascent.
Day 2
Transfer from Moshi (950 m) to the gate of Momella (1514 m), entrance to Arusha National Park. Check in. From the gate of Momella we start trekking to the first camp - Miriakamba hut (2515 m). We climb through the forest zone, safaris, watching wildlife, admiring the scenery.
Trekking time: approximately 3-4 hours, distance up to 6 km.
Day 3
A short but very steep hike to the second camp - a hut in the Saddle (3565 m) with a view of the crater of Meru, Ash Cone, etc. After a hot lunch in a hut, we can take a short climb to the top of Little Meru (3820 m) for great views just before sunset.
Trekking time: approximately 3-4 hours, distance to 6.5 km.
Day 4
We get up very early (around mid-night), steep trek to Rhinoceros (3800 m), then to Cobra (4350 m) and then climb to the top of Socialist peak (4566 m). With the dawn, maybe we are lucky to see Kilimanjaro above the clouds! Then we go down to the hut on the Saddle, take a short break, and then we go down to the hut Miriakamba (2515 m)
Trekking time: 12-14 hours, distance 5 km up and 10 km down.
Day 5
After breakfast, we move down to the gate of Momella, where our cars are already waiting for us. Before returning to Moshi for the night, a short game drive in the park for our team awaits us at the gate. Transfer to Moshi and hotel accommodation.
Day 6
Breakfast. Day of rest.
Day 7
The climb starts from Umbwe Gate, where the path follows a ridge between two deep valleys up through the dense montane forest. The camp is perched between huge trees and thick undergrowth. There is no water available at this campsite, so we must carry from the gate all the water needed for drinking, food preparation and cleaning.
Machame gate for permit (1790m) - Umbwe gate (1800m) - Umbwe Cave (3000m)
Distance covered: 9.5km / Approx. time taken: 6- 7hours / Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 8
The path gets steeper on this section, as you get out of the forest along the Umbwe ridge the route descends slightly to the Barranco camp situated in the valley. In this camp you will meet with other trekkers from Machame route and Lemosho route. Therefore the population will be bigger.
Umbwe Cave (3000m) to Barronco Camp (3960m)
Distance covered: 7.5km / Approx. time taken: 5 hours / Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 9
Our day starts by descending into the start of the Great Barranco, a huge ravine. We then exit steeply, up the Great Barranco Wall, which divides us from the southeastern slopes of Kibo. It’s a climb over rock, not technical but long and tiring. Passing underneath the Heim and Kersten glaciers, we head towards the Karanga valley. From here we have a steep climb up from Karanga valley to our night’s camp at Karanga camp, set at 3963m. For those feeling strong we will go for a mid-afternoon acclimatization trek up to around 4200m before descending back to camp for the night.
Barranco Camp (3960m) to Karanga Camp (3963m)
Distance covered: 5.5km / Approx. time taken: 5 hours / Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 10
Our day starts by descending into the Great Barranco, a huge ravine. We then exit steeply, up the Great Barranco Wall, which divides us from the southeastern slopes of Kibo. It’s a climb over rock, not technical, but long and tiring. Passing underneath the Heim and Kersten glaciers, we head towards the Karanga valley, which is our last stop for fresh water before the summit. Scree now forms the terrain as we walk through arid and desolate land towards Barafu camp.
Karanga Camp (3963) to Barafu Camp (4640m)
Distance covered: 3km / Approx. time taken: 3 hours / Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 11
We start off at around midnight, and walk steeply upwards to the summit glaciers. We will be climbing scree for 4 to 5 hours but gain incredible height over a short distance. The views are spectacular. We should be on the crater rim at Stella Point (5739m) as the first rays of the sun hit us. Spectacular ice cliffs within the crater surround us and the views to jagged Mawenzi peak and beyond are breathtaking. Another hour’s walking takes us to the summit, Uhuru Peak (5895m). We begin our descent by returning to Stella Point and then descending on scree slope and track back to Barafu Camp for breakfast, before finally heading down to Mweka Camp for a long well-earned rest.
Barafu Camp (4640m) to UHURU PEAK (5895m) & down to Mweka Camp (3100m)
Distance covered: 16.4km / Approx. time taken: 13hours – 15hours / Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 12
A gentle trek takes us down through the rainforest to Mweka Gate, where we complete park formalities and receive certificates, which you can hang up with pride! We are then met by our vehicles and return to the hotel in Moshi, where you can treat yourself to a welcome shower then celebrate with cold drinks. Overnight at your arranged Hotel.
Trek Mweka Camp (3100m) to Mweka Gate (1630m)
Distance covered: 9.1km / Approx. time taken: 3 hours / Hotel: Bed &Breakfast
Day 13 etc.
This day left for your next destination. Meals: Breakfast Included.
If you wish, for a fee, you will be additionally offered:
- Safari tours from 2 to 10 days,
- rest on Zanzibar, day trips and other programs.
- Article "Climbing Kilimanjaro. Which of the 7 routes to choose?" - read